White Flag
by Ryouko Akizakura
Summary: Sakura and Sasuke's two meetings after he leaves the village two years after that night. A short songfic about Sakura and Sasuke's feelings. I do not own Naruto, or the song, "White Flag" by: Dido. SasuSaku. Read and Review.


Hey everyone! ^^ I'm back from vacation, and I decided to upload something. ^^ This is a songfic, about Sasuke and Sakura's meetings after he leaves. I got inspired to wirte this after watching the newest dubbed episodes. I was originally going to use the song "Emergency" by: Paramore, but, I'll save that song for some other time. The song I decided to use is called, "White Flag" by: Dido(?). I don't own Naruto, and I do not own the song either, obviously. Some of the pieces don't fit the lyrics, so, sorry about that...Oh, and I don't own the scenes I used either. I changed the diolouge, but, still, I don't own any of it. Enjoy! ^^ _

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I know you think that I shouldn't still love you,/Or tell you that/But if I didn't say it, well I'd still have felt it/

_where's the sense in that? /I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder /Or return to where we were_

Run. That's all that I could do. For just this moment, I couldn't do anything else. Not even scream. Not even breathe. Just run. Just hear the sound of my feet pounding against the pavement beneath them. Just feel the wind flowing through my pink hair as it flew out behind me. Just taste the bittersweet longing lingering on my tongue. Just see that white light get closer, and closer to me. It was at this moment, when I knew something was wrong. The air felt thick. Thick with tension as I flew through it. It didn't make the nerves and pores in my skin tingle with nervousness. It didn't wake up the sleeping butterflies in my stomach. It didn't make my heart flutter as it skipped three beats. It didn't do any of those things. It made my heart fall. My footsteps rang in my ears, the wind getting fiercer as I picked up the pace, the light getting brighter. _Sasuke…Are you there?_ My heart pounded in my chest at that thought. Long forgotten pain surged up inside me, threatening to bring tears to my eyes. My memories of that last night, that last night where I could feel him right beside me, spun in front of my eyes, blurred at the edges. The realization that he had been behind me, so, so close, within touching distance, was the sharpest memory I had. His heart beating had rung in my eyes, his soft breathing had echoed in my ears. His presence had wrapped around me, holding me tightly, the force of his emotions had hit me like an angry tidal wave, the conflict inside him weighing down on his spirit. From what I had been able to tell, I had almost convinced him. But then, he spoke. His soft, gentle tone had drifted across my cheeks, caressed my skin tenderly, brushed right past my eyes, and flowed into my ears.

"…Sakura…Thank you…For everything…" Those words echoed in my mind now, hanging in the air in front of my luminous green irises, as I continued running toward the open arch that would take me to him. To Sasuke. After all these years, I was finally going to see him. _Sasuke…I'm going to…_

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I will go down with this ship /And I won't put my hands up and surrender /There will be no white flag above my door /I'm in love and always will be

I flew through the doorway, streaking out into the sunlight, flying toward the calm and cool black haired boy known to my team as Sai, or the replacement for Sasuke. I grabbed his collar, the impact causing him to fall backwards a little bit as I jerked to a stop. I lifted my head, narrowing my eyes, and scowling furiously.

"That's enough! Be honest and tell me what you're up to! How many times are you going to betray us before-"

"Sakura." My head jolted upward. My pink hair hit my temples. My green eyes widened. _That voice…Is it…Is it really…Sasuke…_I turned my head slowly, my breath catching, my heart fluttering in my chest, my nerves and pores tingling. But not with the same nervousness. This…Was _far_ different. This was, anxiousness. And anxiety. It flew through my veins, adrenaline close behind, the two of them winding together, joined at the hip, racing through my body, stirring unfamiliar emotions. Sasuke stood, stock still, his face gazing down at me somberly. His black eyes hadn't changed, they still held the deep pain and loneliness that haunted him, begging for release. The planes of his face, so far from my fingertips now, were locked, tensed, so far away.

"Sasuke…" I breathed through lifeless lips, through a helpless vessel, through a despaired soul. My heart throbbed at the sight of him, of his flickering onyx irises. _Sasuke…Are you still…_I turned completely to him, watching the wind dance in his bangs, the luminous strands catching the sunlight that streamed from the bright orb that hung in the sky behind him. _I can't feel you…_My hand dropped from Sai's collar, limply hanging at my side, unresponsive. _I'm not giving you up…Regardless of this fear of mine…_

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I know I left too much mess and /destruction to come back again /And I caused nothing but trouble /I understand if you can't talk to me again /And if you live by the rules of "it's over" /then I'm sure that that makes sense

"Naruto!" I shouted, my teammate going down, his body slamming into the ground beneath him as lightning crackled around his body, the bolts independent from their master. The hollow thump of Naruto hitting the ground echoed in my ears, the thump of my heart's desperate reverberation slamming up against my rib cage, pain coming from the aching bone. I looked around, the still bodies of Sai and Naruto, the lightning bolts, Captain Yamato. And most of all, Sasuke. My irises widened, as I took in the sight of Sasuke shrouded by what seemed to be the Chidori, the jutsu that Kakashi-sensei had taught Sasuke before he had left, in an effort to stop Sasuke's steady decline into darkness, something I also had failed to do. I was so weak then, unable to lift a finger to protect myself, let alone one of my closest friends. I was always needing to be saved, never able to fight for myself. Sasuke and Naruto had always come to my rescue, often taking blows intended for me, and consequently, getting hurt in my place. I caused messes, because of my weakness. I ruined perfectly crafted mission plans, because I couldn't keep up. I had been useless. I had been weak. Once again, Sasuke's parting words to me echoed in my mind.

"…Sakura…Thank you…For everything…" They faded away into the corners of my mind. The dark corners, the ones that I had closed off in an effort to stop myself from falling apart like a discarded doll. But that's a lie. That's all I am. A discarded doll, that still stands, comatose in front of the one who had broken it. I was supposed to stop him. That cold, lonely night two years ago. I was supposed to stop him from shutting me out. I was supposed to prevent all of this from happening. And now, I was _going _to stop him, two years later. Now. _Right_ now. I tightened my right hand into a fist, focusing my willing chakra into my tensed appendage, my curled fingers tingling as blue chakra fire faded into existence, blowing the wind like real flames, bending and twisting with the wind that blew around us.

"I'm sorry Naruto. You're going to have to wait for me a little longer. Next time, I promise I'm going to help you save Sasuke." My promise to Naruto echoed in my head, pounding against my skull, relentless. The weight of it was staggering. It fell down onto my shoulders, holding me down. I took off, running toward him, holding my arms out alongside me, my face set in a determined mask, fake, perfectly fake, hiding my churning emotions. _Sasuke…I'm going to stop you! All on my own if I have to! _

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I will go down with this ship /And I won't put my hands up and surrender /There will be no white flag above my door /I'm in love and always will be

_Sasuke, ever since that night, that cold night a couple years ago, I've always regretted not trying harder to stop you from leaving me. From leaving the village. Everything I told you was true. I did love you. I loved you so much. I loved your smile, your black eyes, your calmness. Your temper when you got angry, your angelic face, your gentle touch whenever you held me. I loved everything about you. When I say I'm going to stop you, I mean what you've become. I love you Sasuke. And…I want to save you. And I won't give up until I do. You can cut my legs and arms off. You can scream and kick as I haul you back to the Leaf village, dead or alive. You can shock me with the Chidori until I can't move anymore. But, I'll still save you, got that? I'm not letting you go so easily. You may think that you've severed our bond, but, you're wrong, Sasuke. I still love you. And I still want you. I still need you. I was right when I said that if you left, I'd be all alone. I was all alone. I was drowning in painful solitude. I know how you feel now. I know that pain now. No one, especially not you deserves to feel that pain. Even if it seems impossible, even if it seems like I'll fail, I won't give up. I'm not going to let you break our bond. Try as hard as you want. But, I'm not going to throw my hands up and say, "I'm done. You win." I didn't go through training with Lady Tsunade for these past two years just to give up. I can see it in your eyes, hear it in your voice, feel it in your hesitant movements, that you know it too. _

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And when we meet /Which I'm sure we will /All that was there/Will be there still /I'll let it passAnd hold my tongue /And you will think /That I've moved on...

Stagnant wind. Frail chakra. Still silence. Sasuke and I stood across from each other, squaring off. Blood trailed down from his left eye, dripping from his jawbone. So much time had passed since that day a few months ago, so much had shaped me into who I am now. Countless trials, struggles that brought me to this moment. This moment of stillness. I got up onto my feet from my former crouch, keeping my face set in that bitter, toneless mask that I had when I first arrived, about a minute ago. There was no emotion on my face. No feelings trailed through my face. No intuition flickered in my eyes as I stared at him. I really was emotionless. I really was comatose. I really was a discarded doll. Although, that very same doll had grown more, and more bitter. I stood, apprehensively across from Sasuke, my tongue dancing behind my lips, craving words, but none came to me. Except these.

"Sasuke, I want to join you!" I exclaimed suddenly. Sasuke's irises widened, as did the girl's that was lying on the ground under him. But as soon as his black eyes flexed, they contracted, back into their smooth, flawless, unchanging shape. My heart tightened. _I'm going to have to try harder. _Sasuke shifted, and lifted his chin slightly, suspicious.

"You won't get anything for yourself by joining me, Sakura. What are you really after?" He asked coolly, his voice toneless. I bit the side of my lip. I was going to have to lie. I was going to have to lie to the very person I loved so much. But, I wasn't giving up. I was going to save him.

"It's just that…" I started, thousands of ideas flashing in my mind, confusing. Sasuke's eyebrows lifted in expectation.

"It's just…?" He echoed, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly, in a soft, weak, faint smile. Of course. Of course he was going to smile. He could see right through me. I bit my lip. Hard. But, I couldn't taste blood. I couldn't smell it. All I could smell was my fear. My fear of being discovered. I couldn't let him find out what I _really_ intended to do. I had to lie. And I had to do it fast.

"It's just that I've always regretted not following you when you left the village." I replied honestly, blinking and nodding my head for effect. That part was true. I could go with that. Sasuke shifted again, still unsure, still suspicious. _He's right to suspect something. Last time we met, I had tried to kill him. _I narrowed my green eyes in anticipation. Sasuke's eyes flickered, intuition shining in his eyes. I felt my heart fall. _He knows. _But, Sasuke didn't show any signs of knowing my true intentions. Didn't seem to care, either.

"I'll let you join me, if you kill _her_. You do that, and I'll let you follow me. But tell me something first." He replied calmly. I nodded my head a little too quickly.

"Of course, Sasuke." I responded, my eyes watching him carefully. Sasuke didn't break, or budge.

"Will you follow me, even if I destroy Konoha?" He asked. My head jerked backwards in shock. _D-Destroy Konoha? _

"What's-" I got out, and Sasuke nodded, his movements seeming triumphant. _What happened to you, Sasuke? What did Itachi say to you to drive you to this? _

"Would you really betray Konoha? And Naruto?" He continued. My heart pounded once. _Naruto…Could I really…_I shook it off, and nodded.

"I'll do anything you want me to do, Sasuke." I lied mechanically, the emotion drained from my voice. My mind was reeling. _Sasuke wants to destroy Konoha? I don't believe it._

"You were a healer once before, right, Sakura? If you show me your resolve by killing Karin, you can join me, as I said before. After all, you'd make a good replacement for her." I locked my jaw, and nodded, walking toward Sasuke and Karin. _Who is she? What is she doing here? Regardless, she's innocent. And I won't kill an innocent person. But…_I drew a kunai, flipping it into my hand as I neared the two of them, the sunlight flashing across the metal of the knife. _But if I kill Sasuke here, it'll all be over…_Love washed over me, as my eyes met Sasuke's, unrelenting. _Sasuke, I'm going to stop you! _

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I will go down with this ship /And I won't put my hands up and surrender /There will be no white flag above my door /I'm in love and always will be

"He's not the same person you knew when you were younger. I'm warning you to stay away from him. He _will_ kill you." Karin murmured as I lifted my hands away from her chest injury. I knew she was right. Sasuke wasn't the same. He'd flung Chidori at me and tried to kill me with it when I'd walked over to "show my resolve". Then, just when I thought that I was going to die, Kakashi-sensei had saved me. Now, here I was, the sounds of battle echoing around me. Kakashi-sensei had told me that he was taking the burden from me, the burden of killing Sasuke. But, that was _my_ burden to bear. Not his. Kakashi-sensei hadn't loved Sasuke with all of his heart like I had. He hadn't held Sasuke tightly in his arms, pleading for Sasuke to stop what he was doing. He hadn't told Sasuke that he loves him as a last resort. As far as I knew, Kakashi-sensei wasn't attracted to guys. But, no other girl had done any of that, except me. I stood up, and turned, running back toward where Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei were fighting, tears flying out behind me. I jumped up onto the ceiling of the arch in front of me, running up, and over Sasuke, making no sound. I landed behind him, and drew a kunai, the same kunai that I had nearly killed Karin with. _Flash. What's- _I inched the kunai closer to Sasuke's back, the flash fading from my eyes. The closer the kunai got to Sasuke, the harder I shook. My hand was trembling, and I bit the corner of my mouth again. _Flash._ I staggered, my resolve flickering. _Flash. _I staggered again, my determination faltering. _I can't do it. I can't kill Sasuke. Flash. _Sasuke turned around, his hand reaching toward my throat, wrapping his fingers around it, and gripping my neck tightly, closing off my breathing canal. I struggled, but it was futile.

"Sakura!" Kakashi-sensei cried, starting to move. I watched in horror as Sasuke took my kunai, and pulled it back, preparing to stab me. Karin had been right. Sasuke _would_ kill me. But I loved him. I couldn't die now. I couldn't die like this. I had to fight back. Sasuke's kunai inched closer, his eyes blazing with the Sharingan, the deadly irises flickering like snakes. I closed my eyes, and prepared for the worst. But no pain came. Only arms, and wind. I opened my eyes, seeing the familiar shape of Naruto carrying me away from Sasuke, a tiny nick on Naruto's cheek. I looked back at Sasuke, starting to cry, as Naruto carried me away. _Sasuke…What happened to you? _

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I will go down with this ship /And I won't put my hands up and surrender /There will be no white flag above my door /I'm in love and always will be

_Sasuke, I…I'm not sure if even love can save you now. You tried to kill me twice. But, it doesn't matter if I'm afraid of you. I'm going to save you from the darkness you've fallen into. I'll drag you back to the Leaf village kicking and screaming if I have to. I'm not giving you up. I'll NEVER give you up. We've been through so much. We've created an impenetrable bond. Even if you try to sever it, this bond you and I share, it'll never break. Neither will I. I'm going to drag you back from the depths of hell, even if it's the last thing I do. I will save you, Sasuke. You mean too much to me for me to let you go like this. Even if I lose my life doing it, I will prevent the destruction of Konoha. Now that I know what you want to do, I can better prepare myself to kill you. Even if you lash out, I will heal those wounds that run through you so deeply. Just. You. Wait. _

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I will go down with this ship /And I won't put my hands up and surrender /There will be no white flag above my door /I'm in love and always will be

_Sakura, I've told you before. I'm an avenger. An avenger doesn't stop until what they want to avenge has been avenged. I know how you feel about me, and to be honest, this bond you and I have, it doesn't matter to me anymore. I don't need love. I don't need your touch. I don't need you to hold me when I'm hurt. I don't need you anymore. Even if I become consumed by evil and tyranny, I won't give up on my revenge. Not since I've learned the truth. I've learned the truth about the Uchiha Massacre, and I won't stop until my clan has been avenged. I took one piece of revenge for Itachi. Yes, Itachi. And, I want more. I won't give up on my revenge until you, Naruto, Kakashi, and the rest of the villagers in Konoha have been killed. Maybe then you'll finally know my pain, and my hardship. Anything you say to me now, Sakura, won't change a thing. It's just like that night two years ago, huh Sakura? It didn't matter what you said to me. I was leaving, and you couldn't stop me. Just accept it. I'm lost to you. I'm lost, and you can't find me. No matter how long you search for me, I'm gone, Sakura. _


End file.
